Dr. Cole is an outspoken critic of the Iraq War, and his writings (many of which have appeared on Antiwar.com) are what made him a target, according to Carle. The CIA is banned from spying on Americans, and Carle attempted to report the effort to a superior. Another analyst also confirmed to Carle that he was asked to gather information on Cole for being “really hostile to the administration.” If confirmed this would be a serious crime committed by the CIA, and Dr. Cole has responded with a call for a Congressional investigation into the CIA and the Bush-era White House for their role in illegal spying against him. Dr. Cole has been a Professor of History at the University of Michigan since he obtained his Ph.D from UCLA in 1984. He has run a weblog, Informed Comment, debunking allegations by hawkish officials,since 2002.
